1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a setup support system and setup support method, which can suitably be applied to, e.g., a server computer that constructs a RAID configuration by using a plurality of hard disk drives.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent penetration of computers to offices and households is remarkable. Computers of this type requires setup including, e.g., installation of an operating system. This operation is cumbersome. Recently, standard setup is executed in advance before shipment from the manufacturer or selling agency, or a software installation support tool is packed together.
For example, an installation module described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 5-289855 allows to install a basic OS only by power-ON.
A computer used as a server in an office often constructs a RAID configuration by using a plurality of hard disk drives instead of using a single hard disk drive, thereby increasing the fault tolerance. In this case, the operating system is installed in a hard disk drive after constructing the RAID configuration. On the other hand, the above-described installation module described in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-93214 has no consideration about initialization of the storage medium as the installation destination, i.e., construction of the RAID configuration at all.
For these reasons, installation support tools have recently been provided, which support, before installation of an operating system, construction of a RAID configuration or setting of a partition where the operating system should be installed. These tools are normally stored in a storage medium such as an optical disk and distributed.
For an installation support tool which supports computer setup including installation of an operating system to be installed in a storage medium that requires initialization, as in construction of a RAID configuration, not only the storage medium and a storage medium that stores the installation support tool but also a storage medium such as a floppy disk (R) that requires no initialization is essential. The reason for this is as follows. Until initialization is ended, no data can be written/read in/from the storage medium as the installation destination. On the other hand, setting parameters representing the contents of various configuration setup designated by the user or status data representing the situation of progress must be stored in a storage medium before and during initialization.
However, when the third storage medium is essential, the cost increases, resulting disadvantages for both the user and the manufacturer or selling agency.
To omit the third storage medium, the user may execute input for various kinds of setup in two steps, i.e., before and after initialization of the storage medium as the installation destination of the operating system. With these procedures, any situation that requires storage of setting parameters and status data in the storage medium before and during initialization can be avoided.
However, this method cannot meet the user requirement that all necessary input operations should be ended at once, e.g., at the start, and forces the user to waste time.